Phase 1 Out

Its official... I've successfully completed phase 1! That means I've gone two weeks with no simple carbs or sugar, including fruit sugar. Ok, so I might have had a tiny peice of Dr. Pepper cake last weekend and a double helping of biscuits and gravy this weekend. You know, if it wasn't for my wonderful boyfriend and his family I wouldn't be tempted to cheat near as much.

I realize food is AT every event and part of our life but food BINDS me with most of my favorite relationships. I love cooking and have learned that I love cooking for Kiley. Its been even more fun since I've realized how picky he is. When he says, "wow, babe this is really good" I barely contain myself from jumping up on the couch and dancing. One day maybe he'll get a dining room table until then our meals are shared twenty-first century style- facing the tv.

As promised some tips, tricks and recipies:

Cauliflower-likely the most boring and bland food substance ever, but then again someone probably said that about the coveted potatoes, once upon a time. In the South Beach Diet book they suggest treating cauliflower much like potatoes and make faux-mashed potatoes. I still havn't found my steamer since the move, pathetic I know, so I boiled the whole frozen bag in water then mashed with a little milk, I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter, Salt and Pepper. It was good but I wished I'd boiled a little longer. The next day I microwaved left overs and they were AHH-mazing! I guess a night in the fridge and a few minuets in the micro made it just the perfect texture. SOoooo, I got to wondering if this boring bland little white tree could be manipulated to mimic my oh-so-missed Malt'O Meal. The verdict: it was close, but not that close even after a night in the fridge. I'm going to try it again and really boil them and maybe even stick them in the Magic Bullet. Though, I will try it at my house this time because Mr. Picky thinks the boring bland nuetral veggie smells bad when cooked.

Corn Fed Girls

Like everyone else this week and for about... ohh another week or so... I am dieting because its the first few weeks of January and that's just what we do. This time I really needed to for my health and the three closets of clothes I can't fit in. Yes, I said three... I am single besides what else was I gonna do with all that space. As I've chatted with my fellow struggling dieters and tried recipes and tricks I thought to myself I wish there was a Paula Deen for South Beach. There are a thousand websites and even blogs that cater to the city slicker vegetarian types but what about us southern corn fed girls missing the foods that not only have packed on the pounds but have also shaped our memories, friendships, childhoods and relationships.

So, here we go I am going to attempt.... Paula Deen's yummyness, Rachel Ray's quickness, the health and great weight loss of South Beach and all the greatness of last month's church potluck. Might even toss in some Dr. Phil encouragement.

The post below is specifically for some Juniors and Seniors I am speaking to about Scholarships and Financial Aid at Iowa Park High School. Some of you have asked where my fun and goofy posts have gone. The answer is they are still coming, but I had to post the information somewhere for the time being.

Look for an update on my 5K training... soon.

get your education without being in debt for LIFE

Work a little now and reap rewards later

Below are links to that will help you get your education without being in debt for LIFE.

Article explaining types of money for school by Liz Pulliam Weston's new book, "Easy Money: How to Simplify Your Finances and Get What You Want Out of Life," is now available. Columns by Weston, the Web's most-read personal-finance writer and winner of the 2007 Clarion Award for online journalism, appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money. She also answers reader questions on the Your Money message board.

MSN Article on Free money for school

THE VERY FIRST STEP REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOUR PARENTS MAKE
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Search Engines for scholarships: Remember for every $1000 scholarship is one less year of debt you will have (on average)

Scholarships.com
scholarships4students.com
fastweb.com

Finding the right college for you: search engine

Value of internships

Value of a degree

Gynnalyn's top picks: Tarleton State University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville

found more than I was looking for

God continues to fascinate me in how he works. I've seen him work so many times that I'm not surprised just... fascinated. He created a perfect storm in my life by loosing my mentor and friend Melinda, my mom's declining health, stressful summer at work, growing passion and love for the PSCOC teens, success in weightloss, enjoyment in nature hikes and training workouts, and a whole host of other details.
Its hard to explain the change in my life and every attempt to seems to discount the magnitude of how God has worked in my life emotionally, physically, psycologically, financially, and Biblically. All this climaxed on trek but I see God's mighty hand long before I began my 6 day stint in the wilderness, turning and using so many occurances- peoples words, additudes, my choices and additudes.
I feel empowered. I feel a burning guilt that I couldn't physically do what my heart and mind wanted to- for myself and the people I care about so much. I feel blessed by the guides we were assigned to and the family I belong to because of His blood. I am overwhelmed by the blessing of a job to come home to that I enjoy so much and can be so passionate about.
God has called me to make some changes in my life, not because I was following Satan, but because He calls all of us to our best and I've simply been going through the motions.

Lost the Office Won the Church

By a whopping .1% (yes, that one tenth of a percentage) I lost the office biggest loser. The good news is that I won the church biggest loser by a landslide. I was so proud to beat those boys! The best part is I was able to raise $250 for the kiddos.

Now, the challenge is staying motivated without public humiliation on the line. I've tried to think about the public humiliation of pooping out on trek but that only helps a little. Its so blistering hot outside I don't want to do a thing. Its only May and already 90+ degree heat all week.

I recently finished my training for CASA http://www.casatravis.org/ (Court Appointed Special Advocates) While finishing up the required court room observations I was intrigued by a grossly dynamic and dysfunctional case. Most people shake their heads in disgust at the travesty of the situation, but I petitioned the organization to let that be my first case. So I officially take the case on Thursday when I sit down and wade through the undoubtedly stacks of files and information. Travis County definitely holds a different caliber of cases in comparison to Erath County (Stephenville) where I'd worked before. I'm anxious to begin, God has given me an undeniable love for children and passion to make a difference. I am so thankful for CASA that allows me to use my talents.